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Tag Archives: China
September 2019 Viewing Diary
Satanic Panic (2019; d. Chelsea Stardust) Rebecca Romijn is reason enough to see this. My review at Ebert. A Hidden Life (2019; d. Terrence Malick) The new Terrence Malick film, about WWII conscientious objector Franz Jägerstätter, a man from Austria, … Continue reading
November 2016 Viewing Diary
Elle (2016; d. Paul Verhoeven) I loved it. People HATE this movie. One lady on Twitter said that men should be banned from making films about rape. How you would enforce such a rule is beyond me. Also: No fucking … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged Agnes Varda, China, Citizen Kane, Claudette Colbert, documentary, England, France, Gary Cooper, Golshifteh Farahani, Hong Kong, Isabelle Huppert, Jim Jarmusch, Mia Hansen-Løve, Orson Welles, Patricia Neal, Paul Verhoeven, Sophia Takal, South Korea, Supernatural
9 Comments
Review: I Am Not Madame Bovary (2016) d. Feng Xiaogang
A 2-1/2 hour visual experiment. Gorgeous to look at, for sure. But … My review of I Am Not Madame Bovary. (And no, the movie has nothing to do with Flaubert.)
Review: The Assassin (2015); d. Hou Hsiao-Hsien
The visuals are, quite literally, overwhelming. There were shots that were so beautiful I practically could not take it in, in one glance: it’s like trying to “take in” the Grand Canyon. Thankfully, Hou’s camera is not of the quick-cut … Continue reading
May 2015 Viewing Diary
The X-Files, Season 2 Episode 20 “Humbug” (1995; d. Kim Manners). Mulder and Scully investigate murders among circus-folk. Laugh-out-loud funny, especially Mulder in the fun-house, sliding out of the wall, gun drawn. The X-Files, Season 2 Episode 22 “The Calusari” … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged Abbas Kiarostami, Argentina, China, documentary, Ellen Burstyn, England, France, Iran, Iranian film, Italy, Joaquin Phoenix, John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, Martin Scorsese, Mia Hansen-Løve, Michelangelo Antonioni, Otto Preminger, Robert Mitchum, Russia, Supernatural, X-Files
45 Comments
Review: Man of Tai Chi (2013); Directed by Keanu Reeves
Keanu Reeves’ directorial debut, Man of Tai Chi, opens today. In 1987, the year Reeves first started hitting his stride, the year following “River’s Edge”, he was profiled in “Interview” magazine, as one of many rising stars (along with Johnny … Continue reading
The Blue Kite (1993); Dir. Tian Zhuangzhuang
It is better to let half of the people die so that the other half can eat their fill. — Mao Zedong Tian Zhuangzhuang’s The Blue Kite is both an intimate story about the everyday life of a family, and … Continue reading
Red Cliff (2008); Directed by John Woo
John Woo’s epic Red Cliff was butchered for its American release, cut down from its over-four-hour length to two hours. I have read of what was cut, and it actually makes me wince. Things like character motivation, small moments (the … Continue reading
“the woman word” in Chinese
YES I SAID: TRANSLATING ULYSSES INTO CHINESE by Jim Di Poets and Writers, November/December 2002 Joyce’s deliberately repeated use of yes, as what he called “the woman word”, in the final episode to characterize Molly’s mentality is at odds with … Continue reading